Residents think dogs poisoned

May 30, 2004

William Thompson

Three local dog owners who live in close proximity to one another think their dogs have been poisoned.

John Cruze, of the 2000 block of South Eighth Street, said that as of Thursday his Australian blue heeler was still in Tucumcari Animal Hospital as a result of unwittingly ingesting anti-freeze or possibly freon. “I think somebody threw something over the fence,” said Cruze. “Over a week ago, he (his eight-month old dog) was so healthy then suddenly he became so sick.” Cruze said Dr. Jean Corey, of the Tucumcari Animal Hospital, is assuming that the dog ingested freon. “The dog is in the hospital, and it is still passing blood. It’s costing me a lot of money,” said Cruze. “Putting a dog in the animal hospital is almost as costly as a person being treated in a regular hospital.”
Dr. Corey said that freon was one possibility she was considering as a cause for the illness of Cruze’s dog.
“I am still considering freon or anti-freeze as a possibility,” said Corey. “I have not made a definite determination as of yet.”

Corey cautioned that young dogs are liable to stick their noses into just about anything. “Dogs, particularly puppies, tend to eat anything they can get hold of, including various poisons,” she said. “I still cannot make a determination that the dog was definitely poisoned because some diseases share the same symptoms as poisoning cases.” Corey said that because of mean-spirited individuals, dog owners should take extra precautions to make sure their dogs are not excessively annoying their neighbors.

“We need to let people know that they need to keep their animals from aggravating their neighbors, because unfortunately, sometimes angry neighbors take matters into their own hands,” said Corey. “I wish there were not people who would hurt an animal, but there are people like that.”
Corey also cared for Sheri Bradley’s sick border collie recently. Bradley, who lives on Crestview Avenue, several blocks east of Cruze, said an empty box of rat poison was discovered in her yard after her dog became sick.
“The day before my dog got sick, my fiance and I came home from work and noticed our back gate was open,” said Bradley. “The next day, she (the dog) was acting sickly. We called the vet when my dog started having trouble breathing. Her gums were white and cold.”

Bradley said her fiance found an empty box of D-Con rat poison inside the yard next to the backyard fence.
“My dog will not go near that side of the yard anymore,” said Bradley. “Maybe it was some kids on a tear or something like that,” she said. Louise Massey, of the 1900 block of South Ninth Street, said she thinks her large mixed breed dog was also poisoned. “On Sunday (May 16) the dog was healthy as ever,” said Massey, “but Monday he got up and started vomiting. From Monday through Friday, he would not eat.”

Massey said she decided to wait and see if her dog would recover, and finally it did. She said the dog is doing fine now.
“The dog is so large, it was too big for me to take to the vet by myself, and I didn’t have anybody to help me,” she said. “I’m just glad he’s doing well now.” Massey, like Cruze, assumes someone threw something over the fence of the yard where she keeps her dog.